Eat More, Even The Brain?? The Uniqueness of Minangkabau Culinary

Indonesian people are very unique, especially in processing foods. That is a unique habit that they can make use of all over the parts of cow’s body, not just the beef but also the brain. Woww… !!! Curious? Check it out.

The most consumers of the cow’s brain are in Indonesia, Pakistan, Mexico, El Salvador, U.S, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Franch. They like the cow’s brain because it is structured creamy and tasty. In West Sumatera, the cow’s brain is processed to be the brain curry (Gulai Banak/Gulai Otak).

How to Process The Cow’s Brain

They clean wash that brain, steam or boil it, remove the epidermis, and cut into pieces before they cook it. The spices of the brain curry are the same spices with other curries in West Sumatera. The ingredients contain the coconut milk, chili, turmeric, and herbal spices so that the curry will turn into red-orange and thick.

The difference is the brain curry contains Kandis acid and mangkokak leaves that are smooth chopped. That ingredient is for decreasing the stink of the brain. And the result is a serving with combining of the tasty brain and the spiced thick curry. “Lamak Bana!!!”, they say.

Even though, not a little people avoid for eating it. That is because of the cholesterol that the brain curry has. 100 grams of the brain, it contains 3100 mg of the cholesterol. We can say that it is beyond of the limitation of the consumption of the cholesterol a day as the recommendation of U.S Cholesterol Education Program. However, the cow’s brain contains 11.7 grams of protein that very useful for our muscle and a gram of DHA that is very helpful for our brain function.

The cow’s brain also contains the 21.8 micrograms of selenium and 0.2 mg of the copper per 100 grams of the brain. The selenium maintains the health of the body tissues with defending the damage that is caused by the free radical, while the copper helps the body cells to release the energy.

Besides all of above, the cow’s brain also contains much 1.2 mg of Vit B5 and 10.1 micrograms of B12. The Vit B5 has a role in our metabolism and hormone producing. While the Vit B12 is more than a day recommendation, it has a role in the health of the nervous system and helping to establish the new red blood cell.

So, if you have no prohibitions, you are deserved to eat the brain curry but not excessive.